Convocation Lecture

April 22, 2026, 12 p.m.—Hoversten Chapel

The soil system stores twice as much carbon as the atmosphere and all the world’s vegetation combined. The exchange of greenhouse gases between the soil and the atmosphere controls the composition of the earth’s climate. Over the last two centuries, human actions have increased the flux of greenhouse gases from soil to the atmosphere. Recent studies highlight soil management’s role in reversing the increasing concentrations of greenhouses in the atmosphere by implementing climate-smart land management practices. This presentation will discuss the fundamental mechanisms by which the soil system controls the earth’s climate and the potential of different land management practices to bend the curve of increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

In addition, Dr. Berhe will discuss her career trajectory from being a professor to leading one of the largest science funding agencies in the nation, infusing the perspective of an earth system scientist into science policy.

Precipitation Shifts and Carbon Response: Soil Carbon Dynamics Under Climate Change.

Technical Talk

April 21, 2026, 4:30 p.m. —Sateren Auditorium

Climate change is causing major shifts in precipitation patterns globally. Across a variety of ecosystems, the changes in precipitation patterns are observed as increased or decreased amounts of precipitation, shifts in the type of precipitation, changes in the timing of precipitation, more frequent extreme events, and more. How these shifts in precipitation patterns affect the soil system’s ability to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide and store and stabilize organic matter varies as a function of a host of soil and ecosystem properties. Using insights derived from a combination of short- and long-term rainfall simulation experiments and field observation studies across California, plus theoretical work, this talk will discuss the effect of changes in the amount and timing of precipitation on fluxes, stocks, composition, and stabilization mechanism of soil carbon.

BIOGRAPHY

The Honorable Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe is a professor of soil biogeochemistry and the Falasco Chair at the University of California, Merced. She previously served as director of the United States Department of Energy’s Office of Science (a Senate-confirmed, presidential nomination) and associate dean for graduate education at UC Merced. Her research bridges the disciplines of soil science, geochemistry, global change science, and political ecology. Her research aims to improve our understanding of the soil system’s role in regulating the Earth’s climate; how soil carbon and nutrient cycles respond to environmental changes, including climate change, land-use changes, erosion, and wildfires; and the dynamic two-way relationship between soil and human communities. She holds the distinction of being an elected member of the United States National Academy of Engineering, a fellow of both the American Geophysical Union and the Geological Society of America, and recipient of many other awards and honors.

Sponsored by the General Leif J. Sverdrup Visiting Scientist Program and the Minnesota NASA Space Grant Consortium at º¬Ğ߲ݴ«Ã½.

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Schedule of Events:

“Visualizing Tiny Worlds �

Convocation Lecture

April 15, 2025, 11 a.m.—Hoversten Chapel

Life as we know it relies on the constant and tireless work of tiny molecular machines that are too small to observe directly. Janet Iwasa’s work focuses on creating animations and illustrations of how these machines are hypothesized to operate based on data collected by the biological community

“Animating Molecular Machines �

Technical Talk

April 15, 2025, 5 p.m. —Hagfors 150

In recent years, there has been a rapid growth in the use of animation as a means to communicate complex biological processes to a wide range of audiences. Using 3D animation software from the entertainment industry, it is possible to synthesize data from diverse sources to create a coherent and contextualized view of how molecular and cellular systems operate. These visualizations have served not only to make molecular concepts more accessible to students and the public, but have also proven to be extremely useful for researchers seeking to build and refine their hypotheses. In this talk, Janet Iwasa will describe her career path and current projects that focus on using animation and creating new tools for research and outreach.

Sponsored by the General Leif J. Sverdrup Visiting Scientist Program and the Minnesota NASA Space Grant Consortium at º¬Ğ߲ݴ«Ã½.

Registration is now open!

PRISM scholars and mentors at Century, Normandale, and Minneapolis College, and you are invited to attend no registration needed. Please email Dr. Jennifer Brookins-King, , if you plan to attend to receive parking information and to greet you for the event.

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Bill Nye “The Science Guy� will share his love for science when he speaks February 14 at Augsburg College’s Scholarship Weekend in an address that is open to the general public. Nye, who will talk about “How Science Can Save the World,� will speak with academic depth and humor about planetary science, climate change, evolution, environmental awareness, and more.

“We’re excited to host Bill Nye during our Scholarship Weekend when bright students from across the United States visit campus to compete for our top academic scholarships,� said Augsburg College President Paul Pribbenow. “We want to give these scholarly, prospective Auggies the chance to grapple with some of the world’s deepest questions so they can experience what Auggies are called to do each and every day.�

During the 2014 Scholarship Weekend, nearly 100 students and the public had the opportunity to be challenged by deep questions of compassion and humanity posed in a talk by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.

Nye, a mechanical engineer and seven-time Emmy Award winner as host and head writer of “Bill Nye the Science Guy,� will speak from 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m., Feb. 14, in Augsburg College’s Si Melby Gymnasium.

Ticket Information: Ticket information will be made available as soon it is finalized. Members of the Augsburg College community will have the opportunity to purchase tickets during a presale and that will be announced via A-mail as soon as details are available. Following the presale, tickets will be made available to the general public.

Biography: Bill Nye is a mechanical engineer who wants the world to know and appreciate the passion, beauty, and joy (the P, B & J) of science. Nye’s show, Bill Nye The Science Guy, has garnered 18 Emmy awards. Nye won seven of them as host and head writer. These days, Nye travels the globe exhorting audiences to change the world. He has a day job as the CEO of The Planetary Society, the world’s largest non-governmental space interest organization. Nye’s newest book, “Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation,� is slated for release in November.

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Who: Jordan Ellenberg, University of Wisconsin at Madison
When: 7:00 P.M., Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Where: 2-650 Moos Tower
515 Delaware St SE
East Bank, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

For seven years, a group of students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology exploited a loophole in the Massachusetts State Lottery’s Cash WinFall to win game after game, eventually pocketing more than $3 million. Jordan Ellenberg will talk about how they did it, why they got away with it, the mathematical notions of expected value and variance, and the surprising relationship of all this with projective geometry.

Ellenberg is the author of the New York Times bestseller How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking and the novel The Grasshopper King. Both books will be available for purchase and signing at the lecture.

*Sadly, will not actually help you get rich playing the lottery.

This event is free and open to the public. The IMA Public Lecture Series features distinguished mathematicians and scientists who illuminate the role of mathematics in understanding our world and shaping our lives. The purpose of these talks is to give the public a better understanding about how contemporary mathematical ideas are applied to important technological and scientific problems, conveying the significance and excitement of these applications. These engaging and informative lectures are designed for a broad audience, appropriate for middle-school students and older. This well-established series regularly draws diverse audiences of several hundred people. For additional information, please call (612) 624-6066 or download the event PDF.

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